Here's a look at how the Wake County Republican Party put together the press release Thursday criticizing Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker for his remarks about the Wake County school board majority.
The press release was formulated after a series of e-mail messages between Wake GOP Chairman Claude Pope and Jay Bryant, a GOP spokesman. The messages are public because copies were also sent to Cary Town Councilwoman Jennifer Robinson, a Republican.
The messages show the GOP strategy for responding to Meeker's comments that the majority board members are "people who are not from the area, who don't share our values."
Here's the e-mail stream in chronological order:
From: Claude Pope
To: (Wake GOP PR)
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 1:26 PM
Subject: should we comment on this?
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/24/549694/raleigh-mayor-organizing-potential.html
Mayor Meeker wants to sue the school board. So much fodder here - think about our potential angles for response, if any, thanks.
Claude E. Pope, Jr.
Raleigh, NC
From: Jay Bryant
To: Claude Pope
Sent: Thu, June 24, 2010 2:00:12 PM
Subject: Re: should we comment on this?
I think if we do comment it should be to attack the Mayor for bigotry for his "people not from our area who don't share our values" comment. What an outrage ... and from a man who wants to promote growth, lure businesses, etc. at that.
From: Claude Pope
To: Jay Bryant
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: should we comment on this?
I like that angle - add to the fact the obvious conflict of interest with his wife serving on the school board. Could also include "stability of assignments" as an economic development factor - in that businesses moving to Raleigh and their executives and families want to be sure that they have stability in the school assignments as they come here in search of housing, etc. Instability - constant reassignments and bussing tends to discourage economic development. OK, take a stab at it. Our last PR didn't' hit the print edition but it did wind up on the blogs this morning - here's the link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/raleighreport/meeker-has-new-lightner-tactic-county-gop-calls-for-voters-to-decide
Claude E. Pope, Jr.
Raleigh, NC
(The next message, sent at 6:04 p.m., is a courtesy copy of the press release that was sent to elected officials.)
Comments
Whatever
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 11:51 — gregishereGOP -- The Grinning Old Patriarchs, full of the Series of Tubes, rather than a big truck, concocted the obvious. How sweet. I once watched a pot of water slowly boil. It was most potent when it boiled. It was master of the stove at that point. Then it all turned to hot air and disappeared. Oh, ye teabaggers of the white, good luck playing with each other, where you can reign supreme while the rest of us get on with the future.
I bet they keep sharp
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 12:42 — woodstockI bet they keep sharp objects away from you, don't they?
But they certainly don't
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 12:54 — criticalthinkerBut they certainly don't keep them away from you.
You couldn't have named yourself after the festival, or the film, or the song.
Or even after Snoopy's friend.
You must've named yourself after the place one stores their knives.
? LOL Should I be insulted?
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 13:29 — woodstock?
LOL Should I be insulted? I have no idea what you mean.
This is the future of our school system in Wake County under the new leadership:
By the time we got to Woodstock,
We were half a million strong
And everywhere was a song and a celebration.
Rich/poor, black/white/, this/that. It didn't matter. That is how it will be. Wake County has resources rarely matched throughout the country and we do not need to settle for the mess the status quo created. Why the opposing forced insist on clinging to it is beyond me, but their desperate efforts are only temporary and we will move past it and we will win the day.
LOL Now I'm
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 13:39 — criticalthinkerLOL
Now I'm disillusioned.
If you're quoting the song and trying to somehow equate that spirit with what you're espousing now, either that entire generation has gone prematurely senile, or maybe you're mistakenly trying to speak for those who are as opposite of you as can be.
And we don't buy it.
And if you still don't get what I was getting at, I'm not the first to complain about your remarks, which are often extremely sharp-edged, just for the "fun" of it.
Since your remarks always seem to be sharper than you, here's an easier interpretation.
You're a blockhead.
Well, I bet you are glad to
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 14:03 — woodstockWell, I bet you are glad to get all that off your chest. Feel better? I think you are a dumb@ss too.
So where does that leave us? LOL
Hopefully, not taking
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 14:06 — criticalthinkerHopefully, not taking ourselves too seriously.
I feel better now.
LOL
Glad to hear it.
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 14:16 — woodstockGlad to hear it.
What was the process for
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 11:29 — woodstockWhat was the process for developing the N&O editorials or the messages from the CCCACC, the NC NAACP, GSIW, etc? It would interesting to compare approaches.
same process... nothing to do with educating children
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 11:50 — Athey01....just politics.
When was the last time a
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 14:39 — HJ2ss2When was the last time a discussion centered around the children?
Good Question
Tue, 06/29/2010 - 18:17 — MissVSo far its just about adults playing with a child's scenario: "Mine is bigger than your's".